


Slow Drip

by robyngirlwonder



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Beginnings of a Beautiful Friendship?, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-07 04:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13426860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robyngirlwonder/pseuds/robyngirlwonder
Summary: It starts out as a mundane day at the cafe for Jinwoo until he watches a man get dumped and decides to comfort the stranger.





	Slow Drip

**Author's Note:**

> My prompt was "Seungyoon's girlfriend breaks-up with him in a coffee-shop." I had to include Jinwoo serving Seungyoon coffee and exclude abuse and character death. Hopefully, dear prompter, this meets your expectations and you enjoy it.

Jinwoo released a large silent yawn as he sat back on his barstool to lean against the dark cherry wood wall behind the counter.  He stretched his neck from side to side before rolling his shoulders. He cringed as a large crack escaped from between his shoulder blades.  It was one of those pops that was somehow painful and relieving at the same time. He yawned again before sitting back up and pushing his stool closer to the glass countertop.

Jinwoo drummed his fingers against the cool surface as he raised his large tired eyes to the faux antiqued analog clock placed above the entrance door.

He mouthed the time silently to himself. “2:38.”

He puffed his cheeks before releasing a slow steady stream of air.  It had not even been a full five minutes since the last time he checked the time.  Other than some unpleasant customers, the lull between lunch hour and the dinner rush was probably the worst thing about this job.  Though overall, he couldn’t complain much.  Sure, dealing with grumpy customers too impatient to wait for their early morning caffeine fix wasn’t the greatest, but it sure as hell was better than bartending.

Bartending, even for the short few months he had done it, had only solidified Jinwoo’s theory that drinking at home was the best way to drink.  Friends and family had often joked to him that drinking alone at home was a quick way to alcoholism, but he would have to strongly disagree.  Bartending was a much faster, much more stressful way to it. If anything, his alcohol intake had probably decreased since quitting and becoming a barista instead.

He couldn’t help but shudder when he remembered all the shots, some wanted and some not, he was too polite or too stubborn to reject from the drunk and buying customers.  In retrospect, he should have listened to his colleagues more and poured himself the colored and colorless water they kept behind the bar in liquor bottles for staff to mimic the drinks bought for them.  

There were also the unruly customers who were sometimes too pushy for his liking.  Jinwoo had lost count of how many times he had to call 119 because people went beyond their limits and wouldn’t leave or they were too drunk to function and how many unwanted advances he had received from both men and women.  Jinwoo shuddered again.  Of course there were the sweet and polite customers and most of them weren’t entirely awful, but all in all, he was glad he got out of bartending when he did.

The shrill jingle of the gold service bell that hung above the door startled him from his thoughts.  He pressed his hands to the glass counter, ready to jump up and serve the incoming patron.  He quickly deflated as he saw the two grey heads of the petite elderly couple who stopped by for a late lunch disappearing out the painted emerald door, the man’s hand on the small of his wife’s back.

Jinwoo rolled down the long oversized sleeves of his cream sweater to protect himself from the cold draft left behind from the door closing with a dull thud.  He let out a sigh. The entire store was officially dead. The only other person left inside with him was the prep cook who spent more time texting his girlfriend than socializing.  Jinwoo didn’t mind it too much since he was more introverted in nature, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to during his shift since both the other barista/server and the busboy were out with the flu. He was doing triple duty, not that it mattered since it had been slow all day anyway.

His eyes drifted back to the clock.

2:41

Jinwoo ran his fingers through his ashy brown hair in frustration. Somehow time had become even slower. His eyes scanned the dining area, again, for the hundredth time today, out of boredom.

The walls were a warm beige and decorated with the artwork of local artists framed in a dark cherry wood, much like the paneling of the wall behind the counter. Where there wasn’t art, there were shelves of porcelain knick knacks scattered throughout the small space. A corner of the café was lined with large matching bookshelves filled to the brim with books in every language. The ceiling, painted burgundy, housed strings of warm glowing light bulbs. The owner wanted, in her own words, “an eclectic library” theme.  In Jinwoo’s opinion, it was more of a cluttered mess but he was more of a minimalist when it came to décor.

A long sigh escaped Jinwoo’s lips.  Time wasn’t going to go any faster by sitting here doing nothing.  He pushed himself off his stool and grabbed a busboy tray, the spray bottle of table cleaner, and a clean cloth. 

He walked over to the table where the elderly couple had sat and began to clear the table of the dirty, white porcelain dishes.  He placed the plastic tub on the ground and pushed in the two wooden chairs before spritzing the table with cleaner and wiping it with the cloth.  He gently placed the cleaner and cloth on top of the dishes and made his way to the kitchen to drop them off.

He returned to his station behind the counter with a fluffy pink microfiber towel and began to polish the mismatched table numbers.  They were tea cups of various sizes glued to a matching saucer.  A tall wire glued to the inside of the cup held a small flat piece of wood painted black with calligraphy numbers written in white. Jinwoo organized them in rows of four before sitting back down.

He risked looking back at the clock.

2:57

Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief.  Time seemed to be going back to normal.  He was one tiny step closer to freedom. He now only had a little over six hours left before closing.

He shifted on his stool to get comfortable and stared out the large windows housed on either side of the door into the disappointingly empty street.  Jinwoo’s lips formed a small pout.  People watching was one of the only perks of the slow hours during work.  He often dreamed that his hours of people watching would benefit his pursuit of acting.  Perhaps one day when he was finally cast in a paid acting role he could draw on the body language or an emotional response he’d seen in one of the people he observed.  Sadly, that had yet come to fruition. 

He sighed again before cradling his chin in his hand.  Not even his regulars were here.  Jinwoo was often bad with names but there were a few reoccurring customers that he was fond of and gave nicknames to.

He knew the first man’s name started with 'S' but he probably heard the man’s dog’s name more than his.  The man poorly hid the grey and white Italian greyhound in his coat for weeks before Jinwoo finally took pity on him and told him they were in fact a pet friendly café. He remembered the man’s joyous laugh when he joked that he wouldn’t have to come up with an excuse for the wagging tail poking out of his jacket anymore. 

The man hardly ordered coffee.  He usually ordered water or one of their house bottled teas if he was feeling fancy.  He was mainly there for the food.  If they advertised a new dish or pastry, Jinwoo knew he’d see him and his dog before the week was over.  At the beginning, there was a slight mutual dislike between him and the small dog.  Jinwoo wasn’t much of a dog person to begin with and the dog seemed to just not like him either since he didn’t have a problem with other people petting him, just him.  Over time they seemed to form a truce and Jinwoo would often bring him a small spoonful of peanut butter on a saucer and a bowl of water when he brought over his owner’s order. 

The man would cutely and excitedly call him, “Haute-yah! Our food is here,” to which the greyhound’s paws would happily tap against the wooden floor, his tail wagging wildly. Jinwoo couldn’t deny how cute the duo were together, so naturally he gave the man the nickname Haute’s Dad.

The second customer was a newer one.  Jinwoo simply called him Art Guy. His tan hands were usually covered in smudges from markers and pens. His order was usually an Americano or an espresso with a pastry and he would make some light-hearted comment about how he was supposed to be on a diet to which Jinwoo would give a polite chuckle or courteous smile.

The man’s fashion was always varied and… interesting.  Jinwoo had once overheard him speaking to another customer that he was getting into making his own clothes.  He’d seen the man in a blanket jean jacket hybrid, personalized jeans with drawings and ornate patches, and even contrasting color pants to which the man explained he cut two pairs of pants in half before sewing the opposite parts together.  The one constant in his fashion were the long silver earrings that adorned each outfit he had seen the man in.  

Jinwoo never knew what Art Guy would bring in to work on.  Sometimes he had a camera, other times he brought drawing supplies.  There had been more than one occasion where Jinwoo had brought him his order only to find him asleep at the table, his head resting on a notebook filled with writing. He sometimes found portraits of other customers drawn on the leftover napkins Art Guy had left behind.  He even came across a few of himself.  At first, Jinwoo felt a bit alarmed but overall Art Guy seemed nice and he was more flattered than creeped out if he was being honest.  It was nice to be someone’s muse even just for a couple of minutes or however long napkin doodles took to draw. He brought them home with him. Unfortunately, they didn’t last too long once his cats found them. Jinwoo regretted not framing them.

The final notable customers were The Couple.  Jinwoo had seen them progress from friends to lovers.  It was like watching a romance drama in real life.  The guy had been infatuated with her from day one even though she seemed rather oblivious to it at the beginning. Slowly over time she grew to like him as well. The warm back hugs, the gentle caresses, the soft smiles, the bashful kisses; Jinwoo had witnessed it all.  It was as heart fluttering as it was nauseating.

The dark haired man’s plush lips would spread into a wide grin the moment he saw her enter the door, his hand waving her excitedly over to their table if they arrived separately. In many ways, he reminded Jinwoo of Haute when he served him peanut butter. If he had to guess, she was probably a rookie actress or a young model.  Her long black hair framed her soft features beautifully. She was stunning and had an air of elegance to her so Jinwoo could understand the man’s infatuation.  The man also had the handsome looks of an actor, but by the way he hummed waiting in line, Jinwoo could also see him being some kind of idol musician or songwriter.  Together, they looked like the perfect couples you’d see in advertisements and magazines. Jinwoo wouldn’t be surprised if they actuallymodeled couples clothing together before.

Their order was relatively simple.  The man only drank sweet things, usually the fruit smoothies when they were available or their staple vanilla latte, while the woman stuck mainly with cappuccinos or tea.  They usually ordered a dessert to share.

Jinwoo was mid-yawn when the service bell chimed.  He quickly hopped off the stool and placed on his customer service smile. 

Feeling relieved at seeing their familiar faces, Jinwoo warmly greeted The Couple. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon,” the man replied. 

His arm loosely hugged his girlfriend’s thin waist.  Jinwoo noticed she seemed tenser than usual.

“What can I get for you?”

“A vanilla latte and an almond croissant please.”  His eyes were filled with love as he looked down at his lover, “Honey?”

“Nothing for me thanks,” she replied flatly.

Jinwoo began to feel slightly uneasy. Something felt off.  He masked his discomfort with a cheery, “will that be all?”

The Couple nodded in unison.

“Alright. That will be 11,000 won.”  Jinwoo grabbed a table number and slid it to the man as he handed him his card. “Would you like your receipt?”

“No thanks.”

“Okay. Your order will be out shortly.” He returned the man's credit card.

The man hugged his girlfriend’s waist tighter as they turned to find a table.  She looked up at him and gave him a small smile in return. Jinwoo noticed it didn’t quite meet her eyes. 

Jinwoo’s unease grew.  Something was definitely up with them.  While he liked people watching and eavesdropping led to some entertaining days at work, Jinwoo didn’t like getting actively involved with drama and it really wasn’t any of his business what was going on between the two lovers.  He quickly got busy preparing the man’s latte to distract himself. 

Jinwoo placed their order on a serving tray and took a deep breath before walking over to their table. They were in the middle of a conversation.  The boyfriend was talking animatedly, his hands moving as fast as his words, while the girlfriend nodded along and giving one word responses when needed.  Her eyes were cast downward. She seemed distracted.

Jinwoo awkwardly cleared his throat to briefly make his presence known.  He placed the boyfriend's drink down before setting the plated croissant in the middle of the table.  He grabbed their pink polka dot tea cup table number and put it on the tray.  “Let me known if I can get you anything else.”

“Thank you,” the girlfriend replied with a half-smile.

Jinwoo acknowledged her with a polite nod and turned away to give the couple privacy.

He heard the boyfriend cutely ask, “Do you want the first bite?”

“I told you I wasn’t hungry.” Her tone was cold.

Jinwoo briskly walked back to his station and anxiously combed his fingers through his hair.  An awkward silence began to permeate in the empty space.  He’d seen enough dramas, both real and fictional, to know this wasn’t going to end well.

The woman sighed. “Sorry.”  Her tone was softer but her body language was just as tense as when she entered the café.

Jinwoo froze when she quickly looked in his direction before turning back towards her boyfriend and moving in closer.  She was checking to see if he was listening.  He grabbed a cloth and began wiping down the counter to look busy. 

The woman’s voice was low and soft.  “We need to talk.”

A small knot formed in Jinwoo’s stomach. 

 

She needed to talk and they were in a public establishment... This _really_   wasn’t going to end well. 

 

The boyfriend gave her a small chuckle before moving in closer to her, his plump lips stretched in a flirtatious smile. “About what?”

Jinwoo grimaced. The poor guy seemed oblivious, or at least pretending to be.  He squatted down to where they kept the audio system controls behind the counter and raised the volume of the indie music playing as background noise.  She definitely picked a terrible day to visit the café and breakup with her boyfriend.

Her voice cracked as she quietly stated.  “We need to break up.”

“What?” The man was in disbelief.

Jinwoo hissed.  He couldn’t stay squatted forever.  He slowly raised back up, just in time to see her softly grasp his hand.   

 She was trying to let him off easy.  “You're a wonderful guy," she gave his hand a gentle pat, her fingers tapping lightly against his skin, "but I met someone else and--”

“--You’ve got to be kidding me!” The man pried her hand off of his.

“Lower your voice!” She whipped her head over to look at Jinwoo who quickly bent down and went back to wiping down the counter.

He couldn’t keep doing this.  He needed another task that wasn’t so suspicious.  Jinwoo walked from behind the counter and began to wipe down the massive dessert display cases that framed either side of the cash register. 

He could tell the man was getting heated.  He heard a loud huff as the man tried to breathe deeply and control his emotions.

The woman’s voice was firm. “Look, I met someone else and I didn’t want to hurt you by cheating.”

“How considerate.”

She huffed in response to the man’s sarcasm.  “I don’t know what else to tell you.”  The woman paused to form her words carefully. “I think he’s a better fit for me. I’m sorry.”

“ _You’re sorry?”_

“Seungyoon, don’t do this. Not here.”

Jinwoo risked a brief look in their direction. The man had his arms crossed and his body was rigid.  He turned back around when he heard the man’s voice thick with emotion. “How else am I supposed to react to this, huh?”  Seungyoon hastily cleared his throat. “How am I supposed to sit here and listen to you tell me that you don’t want to be with me and that you’ve already found someone else? I’m in love with you Hyerim!”

“I know, but I--” Hyerim’s voice trailed off.  She took a shaky breath as she tried to finish her sentence, “--I don’t feel like I can be in love with you." Her voice cracked again when she confessed, "I feel like I’m suffocating when I'm with you.”

Jinwoo winced.  That must have felt like a punch to the gut. 

Realizing that he had heard too much,  Jinwoo made his way to the kitchen as quietly as he could. He poked his head out of the kitchen when heard the service bell chime. The woman’s hair blew wildly in the harsh wind as she jogged across the street.  She soon became a small dot as she got further and further away from the café.  He expected to hear the bell chime again once the man left but there was only silence.  Jinwoo risked walking back into the dining area. He frowned in sympathy as he saw the huddled over figure resting his head on the table.  He checked the clock again.

3:30

Jinwoo sighed and rolled up his sleeves.  It was time to prepare for the dinner crowd.  He gave the sad man a quick worried glance before walking back to the kitchen to see what the prep cook needed help with.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the evening had been a blur.  Jinwoo hadn’t stopped moving for hours.  He was exhausted.  He limply plopped down on his stool and sighed in relief. It felt good sit after so long.  He winced when his back protested as he attempted to sit straight up.  He rolled his neck before bringing his eyes back to the clock.

8:37

He doubted he’d get anymore customers so he began to close out the register.  They closed the kitchen about fifteen minutes earlier and most of the patrons were already leaving.  Well, all but one. 

Jinwoo glanced over at the hunched over frame of the dumped man and dragged his teeth across his bottom lip in concern. He’d been too busy to see if the man had moved at all since the afternoon. His latte was still nearly to the brim of the cup and more than half of the croissant lay untouched on the plate.  He yelped when he saw the man move. His yelp caused the man to jump. 

“S-sorry.”  Jinwoo chuckled in embarrassment.

“Don’t be.”  His voice was hoarse. “I’m the one who should be sorry.  I probably broke you’re loitering policy.”

“It’s fine.” Jinwoo tried to give him a reassuring smile.

There was an awkward pause as the man broke eye contact to look at his phone and Jinwoo returned to balancing the cash register. 

He couldn’t help but return his eyes to the distraught man.  He looked like he was in a fog.  He'd comforted his fair share of crying and exhausted students over exam stress, but he wondered if it was worth the risk of comforting him.  He learned from bartending that not everyone wants to be comforted and that sometimes people don’t take kindly to a stranger trying to help. He tapped his pen against the edge of the glass countertop as he tried to make a decision. His eyes shifted to the cold latte laying untouched on the table.  Maybe it would be better if he didn’t come empty handed.

He began making another vanilla latte and put it on his work tab.  They were allowed to take home leftover pastries at the end of the day.  The prep cook had already clocked out and left with his share and Jinwoo didn’t feel like taking any home today, but maybe the man would like his.  He grabbed one of their small to-go boxes and placed an assortment of pastries in the red cardboard container.  He then poured the latte in a matching to-go cup. Jinwoo carefully balanced the food in one hand as he walked to the door and turned the “open” sign to “closed.”

The man was looking down at the table when Jinwoo walked by. He could see that his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Jinwoo replaced the cold latte and partially eaten pastry with the freshly packaged food.  

The raised up in surprise, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I didn’t order this.”

“I know. It’s on the house.”  Jinwoo’s fingers nervously clenched and unclenched at his sides. “I’ve been there before. I know what it’s like.”

“Ah. Thanks.” The man sat back in his chair, his arms clasped on top of his head. A long stream of air escaped his dry, pouting lips.

Jinwoo shifted his weight uncomfortably from side to side.  That was probably his cue to leave.

He went to the kitchen and placed the food waste in the bin before pouring the old coffee down the sink.  He gave the dishes a quick rinse and placed them in the nearly full industrial dishwater before hitting the button to run it.  He washed his hands before returning to what he figured would be an empty dining area.

“Does it get easier?”

 Jinwoo gasped and clutched his chest. He released another embarrassed laugh. When did he become so jittery? “Sorry, can you say that again?” He cautiously walked back to the table and sat down in the vacant chair. 

The man removed his hands from his head and placed them on the edge of table.  He cleared his throat before repeating the question. “Does it get easier?”

Jinwoo hummed in thought. He rested his hands in his lap, his fingers tapping lightly together as he formed a response.  “Well… Um…” He paused again.  This man was vulnerable and Jinwoo didn’t know how honest he should be.  It had been years since his last relationship.  His first love had left him broken and in tears.  That paired with working two jobs to survive in Seoul while trying to keep his dreams of being an actor alive hardly left time for him to have much of a libido, let alone a love life.

The man sighed deeply, his voice cracking as he let out a pathetic, “I thought so.”

Jinwoo waved his hands frantically. “N-no no. It’s not that, it’s just—“ He was starting to regret intervening. He should have just let the man be. “I-it’s just that I don’t want to give you false expectations.”  He cleared his throat and took a moment to breathe before trying to save himself. He had to work quickly because he could see in the man’s body language that he was slowly checking out of the conversation. “It does get easier, but there’s no determinate time length for it to happen.  I’ve seen people get over it in days and sometimes it takes months.”  He swallowed thickly remembering his own experience. “Sometimes it even takes years.”

Jinwoo could tell he said the wrong thing as he watched the man’s shoulders deflate. 

He spat out the first thing he could think of to hopefully salvage the interaction.  “Obviously I don’t know you very well, but you seem like a person with a lot of love to give.  It might take a while, but I doubt it will be very long before you meet someone else who will give you all that love back and more.”

Dread filled Jinwoo’s stomach when he saw the man’s plump bottom lip quiver.  His own lips turned downward as he watched him try to cough away the lump that was forming in his throat.  Jinwoo reached into the pocket of his apron where he kept extra napkins.  He timidly slid one across the table.

The man’s voice was small as he took the soft, cream colored paper to his eyes and apologized.  “Sorry.”

“No.” Jinwoo risked a brief touch to the man’s rough hand. “I should be the one who’s sorry.”  He chuckled lightly to hopefully lift the mood.  “You were minding your business before I came over here and made you cry.”

He smiled in relief when the man let out a small chuckle of his own.

The man cleared his throat again. “It’s not that. It’s just…” He sighed and brought his free hand to his forehead, the napkin balled in the other. “We were so close to 300 days.”  His voice cracked with emotion.  “I bought her a couples ring.  I was going to give it to her for her birthday.”

Jinwoo’s eyes went glassy and there was a painful twinge in his gut as he empathized with the man’s pain. His eyes traveled to the thin delicate silver rings that adorned his right hand.  He cleared his throat before lifting his hand to show the other man.  He pointed to the two identical braided rings on his middle finger. 

“I dealt with the same thing.”  He paused to breathe. He was never sure how to address his first love to strangers, he was private about his love life as it was. “They were one of the first people I met when I moved here. I made them my world.” Jinwoo twisted the rings on his finger.  “I bought them for our anniversary but we broke up, I don’t know, maybe a week or so later. I came home to an envelope shoved under my door. The ring was taped to a note inside of it.”  He paused to swallow the lump forming in his throat. “I thought my world was ending.  I closed myself off for a long time after that,” he pointed to the rings again, “and I hid these away in a drawer for years because it hurt to look at them.”

The man hummed glumly in response.

“But,” Jinwoo raised his index finger to emphasize his point, “over time, as I started to get my life back together, as I started to heal, they slowly just became jewelry to me.” He showed both hands covered in rings to the other man. “It’s now just another ring on my hand.  It hurts now, and it might hurt for a long time afterwards, but it does get easier.  There’s no timeline for heartbreak. You just have to be gentle on yourself and give yourself enough time to heal, however long that is.”

The man was choked with emotion as he let out a shaky, “thank you.”  He gave Jinwoo’s hands a gentle squeeze.

Jinwoo became bashful. “I’m just glad I could help you.”

“I really appreciate it, thank you.”

Jinwoo was relieved to see the man’s bright smile return.  He got a glimpse of the time from the glowing screen of his phone.

9:05

Jinwoo frowned.  “I hate to do this to you, but I have to kick you out.”

The man nodded understandingly.  “Yeah I should get going.”

They raised from the table simultaneously.

“Thank you for the food.” The man gave Jinwoo a slight wave and began to walk towards the door.

Jinwoo shifted his weight on his feet.  He wanted to smack himself. He’d just giving this man life advice and yet here he was debating if he should get the man’s name before he headed out the door. 

“Hey,” the man turned back to face him, “before you leave—Um. Forgive me, I’m bad at names, but what’s—“

“—Seungyoon. It’s Seungyoon.”

Jinwoo gave a half chuckle. “Thank you.”  He put his hands in his pocket. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Seungyoon beamed at him and nodded. “I won't.”  He balanced the food Jinwoo gave him in one hand as he pushed the door open. He took a sip of latte before giving Jinwoo a final wave. “You have a good night.”

Jinwoo returned the man’s smile with one of his own. “You too.”

Seungyoon disappeared as the bell jingled a final time for the night.

Jinwoo walked over to the window and watched as his frame became smaller and smaller as got further away from the café.  His face fell.  It would be nice if Seungyoon came back, but he didn’t plan on it.  He let out a quick sigh before locking the door.

 

* * *

 

Jinwoo adjusted his face mask and hat to block the flurry of snowflakes surrounding him.  Snow crunched beneath his feet as he made it to the employee entrance of the café.  He rubbed his hands together for warmth before wrapping one around the frozen metal handle. He shuddered as he made his way inside.

He stomped the snow off his feet before clocking in, removing his jacket, and grabbing his black work apron from his hook.  A giant yawn escaped his lips as he removed his navy ball cap and mask.  Another co-worker fell ill and only Jinwoo was available to open that Saturday. He stretched and walked through the kitchen to the front of the café, greeting the distracted cook on his way.

Jinwoo went to unlock the front door and paused.  His lips parted in surprise when he noticed Seungyoon was standing underneath the burgundy and green awning.  There was a large black guitar case covered in stickers laying at his feet.  He silently celebrated to himself; he’d been right about Seungyoon being a musician.  The man was rubbing his hands together and marching in place to keep warm.  Jinwoo made quick work of the door to allow the man inside the warmth of the café.

“You must be freezing,” Jinwoo greeted.  “Here, come inside.”

Seungyoon startled at the sound of the barista’s voice.  He gave a quick thankful nod and grabbed his guitar before jogging inside.

Jinwoo quickly shut the door to keep the heat trapped inside.  He walked over to the cash register and unlocked it.  He flicked his eyes to the shivering musician.  “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not very,” Seungyoon responded. “I just forgot you guys open an hour later on weekends.”  His plush lips spread into a small smile.  “Though I guess you can say I’ve been waiting longer than that to see you again.”

Jinwoo’s brow scrunched in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“After we talked, I didn’t even realize I had forgotten to get your name until I was on the subway home.” Seungyoon gave Jinwoo a self-deprecating laugh.

Jinwoo responded with a soft dimpled smile.  “Ah. That is a bit of a problem.”  He bent down to turn on the sound system.

Seungyoon walked closer to the counter.  “Anyway, I came in the next day to find you and you weren’t here.”

Jinwoo rose back up as soft jazz filled the space. His fingers drummed against the glass of the countertop.  “Yeah.  I only work here from Sunday to Wednesday and then I work at a department store the rest of the week.”  His lips went slack. “Wait.  You haven’t come here every day, have you?”   

Seungyoon let out an amused giggle.  He waved his hand. “Don’t worry.  I asked the people working when you’d be in and they said you were covering for someone today.”

Jinwoo hummed and nodded his head.  He stretched out his hand. “Well hi, I’m Jinwoo.”

Seungyoon laughed again before taking Jinwoo’s hand. “Seungyoon. Nice to meet you.”

Jinwoo snorted. He noticed how red the man’s skin was as their hands parted.  Without thinking, he stated, “Wow, you must really be freezing.”

Seungyoon followed Jinwoo’s eyeline to his dry, red hand. “They’re always like that.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Jinwoo flushed with embarrassment. 

Seungyoon released a high pitched giggle. His hand waved flippantly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jinwoo wanted to quickly pass over his social faux pas.  “So, have you been holding up?”

“Well,” the musician rubbed his stubbly chin in thought, “it’s been alright.  I’ve been writing a lot, I’ve been going out with friends, et cetera.”

“That’s good.” Jinwoo turned on the burner for the large pot of spiced apple cider waiting for him at the corner of his station.  It was a new drink they were advertising.  He grunted as he picked up the heavy pot and placed it in its rightful spot.

Seungyoon tapped his lips in thought before he loudly snapped his fingers. “Oh! I can’t believe I forgot.”  His smile was blinding as he reached into his pocket for his phone.  “I adopted a puppy.”

Jinwoo placed his fingers gingerly around the sides of the musician’s phone so he could get a closer look.  The large glossy eyes of a chocolate brown poodle stared back at him.

Seungyoon was a proud father as he flipped to another picture of the puppy. “His name’s Thor.”

“He’s very cute,” Jinwoo politely lied.  He found poodles rather ugly but he knew beauty was in the eye of the beholder.  He’d lost count of how many times people called his syphyx cats ugly or demonic.

There was a dreamy smile on Seungyoon’s face as he replied with a simple, “yeah.”  He put his phone back in his pocket when Jinwoo removed his hand from the device.  “He comes home next week.”

“Nice.” Jinwoo gave the counter a quick wipe down while he mentioned, “We are pet friendly so feel free to bring him by when he’s ready.”

“Sweet, I think I will.” Seungyoon rubbed his hands together as their conversation lulled.

Jinwoo mimicked the action as he stated, “Well, I think I’m ready to go if you want to order anything.”

Seungyoon hummed in thought.  “Mmm, I don’t think I can.  I have to rush over to the studio.”

“Ah.” The barista tried to mask his disappointment.

 I really just came by to say hello.”  His hands went back to his pockets. He pulled out a small red box and slid it across the counter.  “And I wanted to thank you again.”

“Yah, you don’t have to.  I’m just glad I could help.” He tried to give the box back to Seungyoon but lightly slapped his hand over Jinwoo’s. “No. Keep it.  Think of it as repayment for the free coffee and pastries."

Jinwoo let out a modest huff. “Alright.”

Seungyoon giggled at the small pout on Jinwoo’s face.  He patted his hand before picking up his guitar.  “I’ll see you Wednesday.”

“Um, okay.” Jinwoo gave the musician a wave as the he left through the door with another amused giggle. 

The barista watched Seungyoon disappear into the crowds of people forming in the street.  His eyes darted towards the small box.  He removed the lid with trepidation.  There was a small note written on what looked like staff paper.  Jinwoo squinted to read the messy scrawl.

 

_“I prefer chunkier jewelry so you’ll probably_

_get more use out of this than me._

_I hope it fits._

_P.S. This is a gift so you can’t give it back.”_

 

Jinwoo nervously removed the wrinkled scrap of paper.  His large eyes widened when he saw the thin silver ring placed snuggly in the crimson faux velvet inside.  Still in shock from the way too generous gift, Jinwoo bluntly asked, “What the hell is wrong with him?”

He startled when the bell on the door sounded with its shrill jingle.  A chic looking middle-aged woman came in with two teenage girls. 

He swiftly slipped the ring on his index finger and recklessly shoved the box and note into his apron. 

Jinwoo quickly wiped the surprise from his face and replaced it with his usual service smile.  “Hi. What can I get for you?”

And just like that, it was back to business as usual. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have to admit this is the first thing I've written in almost a year so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty.


End file.
